ARTICLES ABOUT EMS BY DATE - PAGE 3

A Boonsboro woman injured in a Thursday morning accident near Easton, Md., remained in critical condition Saturday at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, but her daughter's condition was upgraded, a hospital spokeswoman said. Brigitte Elaine Heller, 51, a Washington County emergency medical services coordinator, was critically injured on U.S. 50 when the driver of another vehicle fell asleep at the wheel and crossed the median into the path of her Nissan Xterra, Easton police said.

A Virginia man was taken to the hospital Sunday morning after the car he was driving crashed into a bedroom of a home in Shepherdstown, police said. Gene Wilhoite, 24, was taken to City Hospital in Martinsburg, W.Va., according to a Shepherdstown Police Department news release. A hospital spokeswoman said Monday morning that Wilhoite was not listed as a patient. Police were called at 9:24 a.m. Sunday for a report of a car that crashed into a house at 347 W. German St., the release said.

In Washington County's world of emergency medical services, Community Rescue Service is the giant. Two years ago in 2010, Hagerstown-based CRS had 12,153 runs - easily more than half the 20,066 calls handled by all eight of the county's EMS companies, according to figures from the county Division of Emergency Services. And last year, the demand for help from the volunteer-owned CRS jumped to nearly 13,000 calls. All this comes at enormous cost - more than $3.5 million from July 2010 through June 2011, the company's most complete budget year.

When you're dipping into savings to keep your community ambulance service going, some say accountability is a small price to pay for financial help. “It's been a lifesaver, it really has,” Jonas Zeigler, assistant chief and career supervisor at Sharpsburg Area Emergency Medical Service, said about the $309,236 that Washington County government is giving the company this year. “Thank God for it,” Zeigler said. Chris Amos, chief of Community Rescue Service (CRS) in Hagerstown from 1994 through 2010, said the special staffing aid the county began giving its eight volunteer-owned emergency medical service (EMS)

Emergency medical services (EMS) companies have more to lose than do fire companies. All eight local emergency medical services companies in Washington County are bound by more punitive financial reporting rules than those governing the fire companies. If they file late, the EMS companies face a loss of funding - not just the funding delay that's still the punishment for fire companies that file late reports. These rules are tied to the combined $1.66 million a year in extra staffing subsidies the county began giving EMS companies in summer 2010.

F&M Trust has pledged $50,000 to the Shippensburg Emergency Services Building Capital Campaign to support the new facility on the corner of Orange Street and Walnut Bottom Road on the site of the former University Lodge Budget Host motel. At a recent groundbreaking, F&M Trust pledged its contribution to be made in five annual installments beginning in 2012 and running through 2016. Representing the bank at the presentation were Anthony Damore, Cumberland County market manager; Dave Zimmerman, commercial services relationship manager; and William E. Snell Jr., president and chief executive officer.

Like modern-day cavemen, Josh and Jeremiah Clemmer set out early Saturday morning, snagged dinner and set off for home. But not without the conventions and amusements of the contemporary fishing tournament. The Clemmer boys were among nearly 400 people gathered Saturday for MIHI's ninth annual Fishin' Frenzy at Pangborn Park. "They're gonna have trout for dinner. Probably fileted and broiled," said Dave Zook, 68, of Hagerstown. Zook had accompanied Josh, Jeremiah and their mother, Pam Clemmer, 42, to the event.

Nothing could stop the Maryland District 1 Little League Home Run Derby from being held Sunday. Not even Mother Nature. The skies opened up seven batters into the Derby and halted competition for nearly 90 minutes before it resumed. It took approximately 10 volunteers, three Shop Vacs, a bevy of shovels and rakes, some additional dirt and even a Gatorade bottle to get the water off the field so the Derby could resume. “The kids really wanted to (finish the competition)

Washington County girls continued to leave opponents scratching their heads Saturday at the Maryland State Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Morgan State University. Boonsboro held off Harford Tech 108-100 to win the Class 1A girls title, which has been brought home by a county team 15 of the last 16 years. It’s the Boonsboro girls’ eighth title overall and first since 2005. “This was our goal since the beginning of the season,” Boonsboro coach Becky Walter said.

The Franklin County (Pa.) Department of Emergency Services joined emergency medical services organizations from throughout the county to recognize EMS Week and to educate visitors of fire and safety hazards. The department, including members of the Community Emergency Response Team, met more than 150 people at Lowe's stores in Waynesboro, Pa., and Chambersburg on May 20 and 21. The team members presented a display of their response capabilities and distributed safety information on fire prevention, fall prevention and what to do in the event of an emergency.